Charles Matthews' personal drive has Michigan excited for 2018-19

Charles Matthews discusses learning Michigan's complex offense after transferring from Kentucky in 2016. Recorded Friday, March 30 at the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
Nick Baumgardner, Detroit Free Press

Michigan guard Charles Matthews dunks in the second half of the national semifinal against Loyola-Chicago on Saturday, March 31, 2018, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.(Photo: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Matthews went through the NBA Draft process with an aggressive mindset, taking it serious and considering all avenues despite not getting an invite to the draft combine. He had a handful of workouts for teams, though a minor injury to his shooting arm got in the way of a few more.

Michigan's second-leading scorer and rebounder a year ago, Matthews' drew some attention with his surge through the NCAA Tournament (he averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in the tournament run). But more important, he found personal confidence during that run. A player who second-guessed himself at times during the season, Matthews was under control in March and wanted to push himself to see whether or not the NBA was a realistic option.

Michigan State forward Nick Ward mixes it up with Michigan guard Charles Matthews during first half action of the Big Ten Tournament semifinal Saturday, March 3, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York.(Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Beilein, of course, was doing the same thing as he entertained job interest from the Detroit Pistons. The head coach kept his star player updated on everything going on with his world. And Matthews ultimately opted to return before Beilein had fully ruled out the Pistons job.

Still, Beilein admits the way he handles early NBA departures now is different than it was years ago. When Beilein first started dealing with this during the early part of his tenure, he wasn't sure how to handle it.

Manny Harris left after his junior year in 2010. Then Darius Morris surprised several by leaving after his sophomore year the following season. Trey Burke was one foot out the door after a sparkling freshman the year after that.

Over time, Beilein's approach has changed. And the one he used with Matthews works the best in his mind.

"I learned lesson a long time ago. I've never talked anyone out of it," Beilein said. "But I'm a strong believe in knowing they have to learn and (go through it on their own).

"I didn't sweat (Matthews' decision) either way. Because either way, he comes back ready to play and really driven (or he leaves) with that. And he's so driven right now. We're just elated to have him back in. Because it's a little bit his team now."

Matthews was a work in progress last season. A highly talented slasher who transferred from Kentucky, Matthews admittedly spent the bulk of his redshirt year in 2016-17 free-styling on the scout team. He wasn't familiar with Beilein's system, which can be complicated.

And there were times when he wondered why he was spending so much time on pivoting and putting the proper spin on his passes during practice drills.

That carried over to the early part of last season.

"I came into the season, we're going over plays and the freshmen were looking at me," Matthews said in March. "And I was like 'y'all are going to have to look at somebody else. I don't know this stuff either.'"

He figured it out in time, though, and now has a chance to expand.

There are obvious parts of Matthews' game that need work. His foul shooting, the overall consistency with his jumper. But building off momentum gained with Matthews' footwork on offense may be the top priority.

Beilein consistently referred to Matthews as "Bambi on Ice" during the regular season for his penchant to slip and slide off the catch because he rarely landed on both feet. He became a turnover machine late in the regular season, but stayed the course and started to turn things around in the postseason.

He's already an elite on-ball defender and a plus athlete. If Michigan can hammer home offensive efficiency into his game, it could have a star on its hands.

"All of his footwork is going to grow," Beilein said with a smile. "What I love now is when they're watching an NBA game and they see exactly what we're talking about. LeBron's landing on two feet, then passing. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, their passes are on time with the right spin. You can hear Steve Kerr talking about putting spin on the ball.

"That's all stuff we do and teach them."

Matthews seriously considered the NBA draft, but ultimately decided he needed more seasoning.

Beilein plans to give him exactly that. And in a few months, he's eager for the world to see what Matthews can turn into.

"I expect in September and October," he said. "We'll have a lot of NBA coaches in our practices."